Uber vs. the New Taxi-Hailing Apps

Uber vs. the New Taxi-Hailing Apps

By ANNE KADET

Updated Oct. 9, 2015 1:53 p.m. ET

For decades, taxi services has been the favored means of transportation for citizens. However, ever since Uber sprung to existence, the taxi market has been gradually going downhill. Uber was founded on March 2009, embracing the new era of technology by providing an easily attainable service. They created an app, making it easier for the customer to pay and locate a driver. Not only was acquiring a ride made easier but now the cars transporting us are clean and appealing with a driver whom is actually pleasant to talk to in most cases. Despite the downfall, Taxi is coming back with a vengeance. They developed two new apps called Way2ride and Arro, both providing the same services as the Uber app. The author of this article tested the efficiency of each app (Uber, Arro, and Way2ride) by contacting each one at the same time. All three drivers were helpful and friendly, however, the Way2ride's app was glitching, not allowing her to make an electronic payment. This problem arose continuously with each try. The Arro app, on the other hand, proved more effective then the others. Why should we choose Taxi over Uber now? After her little experiment, Anne unearthed that the Arro app's competitive advantage (for taxi services) was not only faster to arrive to her destination, but also cheaper. Anne has concluded that from now on she will be using Arro.

I chose this article because I was thrilled that Taxi was making a comeback. My personal experience with Uber was not very pleasant, however the convenience it provided was unmatched till now. With Taxi finally modernizing itself, I am hopeful to see it grow back to its original demand.

Taxi's "new product" may just be the key to gaining back the customers they lost to Uber by incorporating technological advances. I recognize that Taxi now has a differentiation from the other competitors, administering cheaper prices for their services and arriving to their client quicker.

-Ann Meyer

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